general oversight of the justice department hearing. watch live hearing coverage on monday on c-span2 and tuesday on c-span3. watch any on c-span.org or listen on the go with the free c-span radio app. announcer: live on the c-span network, the house returns to finish work on the appropriations package to fund the state department, foreign operations, military construction and veterans affairs. on c-span2, a meeting with peter gaynor on national disaster preparedness. fauci30, dr. anthony about the pandemic. biden5, the wife of joe will participate in a discussion with a texas representative. coming up in one hour, the educational fund ceo of the

national association of latino officials, arturo vargas discusses issues important to latino voters. then later tim phillips discusses his group's role in campaign 2020. ♪ this is the washington journal for july 24. the house is expected to come in at 9:00. new york democratic congresswoman because you're cortez and other democratic colleagues took to the floor of the house yesterday to discuss the issues of sexism and harassing comments. the congresswoman calling it a cultural issue. in light of that, in our first hour, we want to hear your calls about what you think on sexism particular lay in politics. you can let us know on the phone lines.

for women it is (202) 748-8000. for men it is (202) 748-8001. if you want to text us, do so at (202) 748-8003. you can also post on our facebook page. what occurred on the house floor yesterday, the washington times writes this saying it was the representative responding on the house floor on thursday to representative ted yoho's comments about her arguing that they were part of a much larger pattern of harassment and language and that dehumanizing women in american society. the story adding that they got into a heated exchange earlier this week on the capitol steps where he harshly criticized her comments about rising crime in new york city is due to job losses and poverty. yohog that incident mr. called her disgusting. on wednesday he goes to the floor of the house offering an

explanation of what happened in that exchange with the democratic congresswoman. [video clip] >> i rise to the apology. that does not mean we should be disrespectful. having been married for 45 years with two daughters, i am very cognizant of my language. attributed tong me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues and if they were construed that way, i apologize for their misunderstanding. i am passionate about those affected by poverty. my wife and i started out together at the age of 19 with nothing. odd jobs andbs -- we were on foodstamps. i know the face of poverty and for a time it was mine. that is why i know people in this country can still rise up and succeed and not be

encouraged to break the law. i will commit to each of you that i will conduct myself from a place of passion and understanding that policy and political disagreement be vigorously debated with the knowledge that we approach the problems facing our nation with the betterment of the country in mind and the people we serve. i cannot apologize for my god, myor for loving my family, and my country. host: again, that was on wednesday. representative ocasio-cortez responded via tweet and yesterday with other democratic colleagues took to the floor of the house to address the issue. [video clip] >> these are the words that representative yoho levied against a congresswoman. a congresswoman that not only represents new york's 14th congressional district, every congresswoman and woman in this

country because all of us have had to deal with this in some form, some way, some shape at some point in our lives. i want to be clear that representative yoho's comments were not deeply hurtful or piercing to me because i have worked a working-class job. i have waited tables in restaurants, i have ridden the subway, i have walk the streets in new york city and this kind of language is not new. i have encountered words uttered by mr. yoho and men uttering the same words as mr. yoho while i was being harassed in restaurants. i have tossed men out of bars that have used language like mr. yoho's and i have encountered this type of harassment riding the subway in new york city. this is not new and that is the

problem. host: again, if you want to see all of the exchanges, you can go to our website at c-span.org. for our first hour, you can comment. for women in the audience, (202) 748-8000. for men, (202) 748-8001. if you want to text us, (202) 748-8003. you can also post on our facebook and twitter feed as well. we will talk about what is going on in the senate when it comes to the next coronavirus relief package. it,ing us to talk about senator jack cohen. where does it stand right now as far as an actual bill? some: the republicans and committee chairman have been meeting with mark meadows and steve mnuchin and as it stands on friday there is a deal in

principle on a deal for another relief package. it will not be as big as the cares act that passed in march. negotiators are saying it could be as much as $1 trillion and it will tackle many of the things that were left out of the cares package. there is more funding for $105 billion. more money for contact tracing, testing and liability protection for businesses and schools that reopen. this is just an agreement in principle. we have not seen bills passed yet. mitch mcconnell said that will start on monday. that was the first stage of negotiations. they will take it to nancy pelosi, chuck schumer and then negotiations will get underway. host: where are republicans overall on not only the bill itself but the suggestions for spending?

guest: they are split. there are a number of republicans are concerned about spending and the debt and deficit continued to rise. $2.6 trillion in only half of that has been spent. a lot of people are concerned. the pbb funding is starting to run out. funding is starting to run out. we have other folks who are up for reelection, folks who are more moderate. certainly mcconnell himself saying, this is an ongoing economic crisis and needs to be more done to address that and you will expect to see those negotiations happening over the next two weeks or so. host: there was concerns about the state of the unemployment boost that was passed previously by congress. how is that being addressed? a $600the cares act

additional per week bonus on top of state benefits. it is important for people who have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own because businesses have closed because of the public health measures or the general state of the economy as it is as many businesses have gone under. expires0 per week bonus this coming friday, one week from today. plansators are working on either to include an extension of that. there is some concern on that from republicans that it means people could be paid more for not working then they would be working and they are concerned that that could delay people's return to the job market. the coursealks over of this week was a temporary boost as a piecemeal approach as they are working on the rest of the package.

that was met with some concern that it would eliminate the urgency for an overall package in the next two weeks. host: when it comes to reconciling the two bills, what is the initial reaction from the house and when it comes to the senate side, if they are planning on introducing a bill, does it mean there is not enough opposition in the senate to keep it from passing? guest: democrats have said they are not going to allow the passing of the republican proposal on its face. for instance, eviction protection for those in housing with federally backed mortgages. those expired today and there are a number of democrats including kamala harris who have been pushing for the extension of those beliefs -- reliefs. they would like to see more in

hospital spending. pass the did not heroes act with mostly democratic support. and thatbeen pending has sort of been the initial starting point for democrats position on this. there is going to be a final package that passes both the house and the senate and they will need to come to an agreement between the two of those. spendings not enough for education, they would like to see a couple hundred billion dollars more than what republicans are proposing. democrats have voted for those in the past, they have a harder time swallowing that pill for larger corporations which they say should be protecting workers . once they can reach an agreement on the two of those, then you can see a bill go to president trump's desk as it has over the course of this pandemic. host: congress usually takes its

break in august. do they suspect that that will happen before the break happens? guest: as far as i know, you will hear a number of lawmakers we should cut short the august recess. it has happened before. nancy pelosi says she might extend the house session to deal with this. recess is an important time for them to get back to their districts ahead of the election especially as elections are increasingly held by mail-in ballot, they will seek votes cast as soon as september. you are going to have a lot of legislating,rap up get back to their districts and then arrive in september to fund the government. the august recess is not going away anytime soon. host: you can see his writing at

the website. thank you for getting up with us and talking us through this senate bill. guest: any time. host: we will take your calls. again women, (202) 748-8000. for men, (202) 748-8001. cheryl starts. in iowa. starts us off in iowa. caller: thank you, c-span. this ismy comment on everyone should treat each other with dignity and respect and particularly those that we elect to serve us in congress. with that in mind i would like to call up people's memory banks . i remember -- i believe it was

the night of the election when michiganesswoman from called the president and then she called her son, f'er and we are going to impeach him. here is the thing about this. why are we upset only when it affects us? and i watched the whole proceeding yesterday and the congresswoman stood there on the floor of the house and she was outraged. so it is like, come on guys, let's get real. host: you say it affects us, who are the us? what i am saying to you they, yesterday at least,

they were the us. but i believe it is just ridiculous to even take an hour of time to go through all of this. host: that is cheryl in missouri. beth, you are next. caller: i was just listening to apologyay ted yoho's and at the end he threw in, i want to apologize for my passion, which i understand. but then he threw in, i want to apologize for my love of god and country. and i thought, did anybody ask him to apologize for those things? i don't think so. party like the republican likes to throw out god it is convenient for them and it

sounds to me like he is trying to say because he loves god so much, he used those words. i think he owes an apology to his god and to his country for the use of those words. host: jacksonville florida, the line for women. janice, hello. caller: hello, how are you this morning? host: i am well, thanks michael ahead. caller: i did not have my comment well-formed. but when i heard it, my emotions soared and i had to call in. one thing i heard not that long ago -- i don't know if it was on c-span, but it was not long ago was that women have to be differential to men and all of a sudden my awareness just zoomed up. i already was very anti-sexism. my mother was that way.

when i heard that, and i mentioned it to some of my brilliant sorority sisters and women that i know, they did not even know what i was talking about. i started realizing that when i see them in congress, the majority of time they are standing like they are trying to not take up too much room. they are talking like they are trying to not talk too loud. , the, even our leaders majority of them act like they have to be differential to men. one that i would like to give as an example who absolutely was not -- and a man-made an comment ofe rubber barbara jordan of texas. representative barbara jordan of texas. they made the comment at that time that if god were a woman they would sound like barbara

jordan. is doing it in my opinion. they cannot just run around and be differential to the men and try to do anything significant about this sexism in american society. host: janice in jacksonville, florida. jacksonville, florida was going to be the site of portions of the republican national convention of until yesterday when the president announced that those portions are going to be canceled. there is the headline from the jacksonville.com website. howard in new jersey, go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. i thought it was a wonderful speech by congresswoman ocasio-cortez. the reason i was impressed and maybe i should not have been,

but she pointed to how common this type of scene is. as a working-class woman, she had encountered that in her previous employment as a waitress, that men would be highly inappropriate like this. today that a paper large group of women, spoke up as well saying that they have suffered this type of abuse either in congress or in the workplace. being on the men's line i would say i think a lot of men need to hear this and need to start thinking about some changes that need to be made. i must say i want to watch c-span on the website. by my ownessed congresswoman who is very politically different than ocasio-cortez who spoke on her

behalf. ofhink it is this type sexism that goes on not just in congress, but all over the working world, needs to be addressed. i think ocasio-cortez did an excellent job in yesterday's speech. thest want to point out on front page article, kevin "irthy was questioning, don't understand that we are going to take another hour to discuss this." the reason i believe that this needs to be discussed is this is a problem as the congresswoman said. it is not just a problem for her, it is a problem for most or many working women. host: ok. that is howard in new jersey. he referenced kevin mccarthy in

his weekly press briefing was asked about the events concerning congresswoman ocasio-cortez. here is the minority leader's response. [video clip] leader of they house except his apology. in america i know people make mistakes. we are a forgiving nation. i also think when someone apologizes, they should be forgiven. i don't understand that we are going to take another hour on debate whether the apology was good enough or not. he said i was sorry. i'm sorry to the congresswoman of new york." but the democrats will not debate the account ability of china. they refute it. they will not even give us time. i know in my home community that we are getting a surge. i think that is a wrong opportunity. yes, he made a mistake and he apologized.

yes the majority leader accepted it. we have big work to do on this floor and people should not be called names. people should be treated with respect regardless of philosophical differences. i stand by that. i think it is appropriate that he apologized. i think in a new world we determine whether we accept whether someone says i'm sorry if it is a good enough apology. host: people are texting this morning. this is robert saying his apology was anything but an apology. it was reaffirmation of his m.o. another says, how about taking up the house over something like stopping the violence in your city. says, mr. yohoo made no apology but an agreed claim by his righteous passion

that was misunderstood by fema target. steve from new jersey says that every injury claims that he is misogynistic. from danny in farmington, missouri. go ahead. caller: good morning, pedro. just a juvenile attempt at an apology with a youngster with his hand caught in a cookie jar. i don't understand why these elected officials cannot admit isthe fact that the gru funding bounties on our young volunteers that are laying their lives on the line voluntarily. apologyan attempt at an -- this attempt at an apology was a farce. kevin mccarthy should speak out

against this russian aggression against our own forces. i love this show. host: frankie is next in seattle. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. seattle is pretty left-wing. i considered running for office to replace a very talented woman on the head in the elevator when she got to the state capitol because they were so few women and the men were looking down on her already which was horrible. i was discouraged from running even with my degree from a prestigious university because i was on the verge of maybe getting too old, but mainly because i had been divorced and this was bad and so i just gave -- it is rapid and it is

ant and it is a big huge problem. told your you daughter, what was the reaction from her? you just give up for you even get anywhere which is terrible. host: frankie is in seattle, washington. we appreciate the call. the washington times highlights atuote from the director records and diversity. she said the incident is indicative of women being targeted not only online in politics. she cited another tussle in the nebraska state senate where state senator panting brooks was reportedly told to shut up and flipped off on the floor by another member on the debate on the abortion bill. she also highlighted the surge of criticism liz cheney is

facing from further right wings of her party. what we are seeing is a change in what is acceptable behavior that is deeply just starting -- deeply disturbing. what has happened is the discourse has sunk and women have become the target. she argued that while lawmakers tend to have thicker skin, it can be to discourage other women from running for office. paul from kansas city, go ahead. caller: good morning. nature of the hypocrisy of seeking someone out, calling them something like that, denying it, and then apologizing it, leaning on your passion and your religion, it is farcical. but it is typically american. it is something that our society does routinely. as the home to a family

representative said yesterday, with women, his wife and his daughters. was he taken to task their? was he taken to task amongst his peers in the house? was he taken to task by the people that he prays with? it is ridiculous. for the people that call and say, let's talk about things that are important. if you don't think this is important, you are as hypocritical as he is. that is my comment. host: sharon in houston, texas. go ahead. caller: yes. saying about yoho and mccarthy. yoho,ccarthy took up for are aonald trump, they gang.

they need to stop. they have no respect for nobody, not even american people. they need to stop until we can get these people out of here. they are not people to me. thank you. host: sexism and culture in politics is the topic for the next 33 minutes or so. if you want to give comment, (202) 748-8000 four women in the audience. (202) 748-8001 four men. the post on facebook and you can also text us at (202) 748-8003. the house speaker yesterday, nancy pelosi also talking about the events of yesterday. here is what she had to say. [video clip] sen. mcconnell: -- rep. pelosi: we are trying to save time with our bills to kill this virus, just to destroy this virus and we are there to open up our economy and our schools. behavior of one of the men

is such that the democratic women's caucus at a time when our floor time is very precious tells you how important this is. it is a manifestation of attitudes in our society. i can tell you that firsthand. they have called me names for at leadership.rs of funnyt know -- it is so that they say, do not have a daughter, do not have a sister, do not have a wife? what makes you think that you can be so -- and this is the word i use for them, condescending in addition to being disrespectful. don't want to say favorites, but one of the most is when we were discussing reproductive health and number of years ago, they were so angry

with me because i had five years -- five children so i had standing on the issue and they got up there and set on the floor of the house, "nancy pelosi thinks she knows more about having babies than the pope." yes. so there is no limit to the disrespect for the lack of acknowledgment of the strength of women. nothing brings more -- nothing is more wholesome for our government, politics, our country than the increased participation of women and women will be treated with respect. thank you. host: it was yesterday that the house speaker and the senate majority leader announced that -- an invitation-only arrival ceremony for the late congressman will take place monday at 1:30 in the afternoon

and the public will be allowed to pay their respects on monday and tuesday according to congressional leaders. he will lie in state at the top of the capitol's eastern steps. anyone wishing to pay their respects will be required to wear masks in compliance of an order issued by the mayor. social distancing will be strictly enforced and the family has asked for those wishing to pay respects not to travel across the country citing the ongoing pandemic. patricia from north carolina. hello. caller: good morning, pedro. i am like nancy pelosi. i had all brothers and i was taught to be a lady and i admire oac for what she did yesterday. she was fantastic. woree the whole world just a mask. nancy pelosi and i were born in

the same year. she was born in march and i was born in november. i will be 80 in november. i want them to keep up the good work. mccarthy needs to sit down. no, he needs to come to north carolina and sit at my table and i will talk with him about women. host: that is patricia in durham. we will go to genie in livingston, louisiana. caller: good morning. i have been listening to the comments made about aoc. why is it that they only get upset when they say men do this? all of themaoc and tell them to step off, shut up, we don't want to hear from you. but that is ok. but when a man does it, that is wrong. as far as pelosi, i am from san francisco, there are a lot of people that are not happy with pelosi.

people always praise her like everybody loves her but they don't think she is doing a good job. thank you. host: that is genie in louisiana. sexism is the, " least of our worries." robert craig saying, "if i were a rep walking by and heard what representative ted yoho to aoc, my reaction would be a conversation about respect." tom is in new jersey. caller: hi, how are you doing? i love your show. i think aoc is overrated. she is just using it to get on the pulpit and make the democrats look good.

she should have been kicked out of office. i think he might have said she is dumb. host: as was reported, you don't believe the exchange? caller: no, i don't believe the reporter because fake news and all that stuff. god forbid he did say it, which would not be right, but i don't believe for a minute that he said that. they are just making a big deal out of it. host: ok tina from california. caller: good morning. host: you are on, go ahead. believe --ust host: are you still there? can you hear me? i was talking. host: i don't know if you are

still watching television, sometimes that causes a distraction. whatever the case, ahead. tina in california, hi. one more time, are you still there? in st.ill go to brenda louis, missouri. go ahead. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i think if we can speak that easily to another woman, maybe this is how he handles the women in his life. anytime you say there is nothing wrong with it, you know? have a blessed day. host: that was brenda in missouri. monica writes-- saying, "it was the representative ocasio-cortez that made it clear that her

was with the story it. in, alongside favoritism. represented of yoho expressed his own emotions on accosting ocasio-cortez. it is worth noting that while she lays out, she does on a voice that never veers above mild irritation. her speech totals 10 minutes. she never raises her voice or cause names. she is measured as women are expected to be and as men are assumed to be. she made it clear that her none of this was personal." people came and spoke on the house floor yesterday because of that. if you go to our website at c-span.org, there is a box there that you can click and see the exchange that took place yesterday and find more on the topic at c-span.org.

lexie you are next in illinois. good morning. caller: good morning. i believe that the people in leadership are there to set an example. example,'t have an then we have nothing for humanity to follow. and if humanity does not have anything to follow, it is going to get chaotic. int: we will go to romney irving, texas. hello. caller: thank you for taking my call. i've -- i agree with the last caller. it is not surprising. these callers that have such a , that for pelosi and aoc they would think that this is

acceptable because they hate them so much, it is just disgusting. if that is a republican mantra, it starts at the top and goes down the river. thanks. host: jessica in arlington, virginia. caller: good morning. thank you for c-span. onas watching what was going with this discourse in congress. if i understand correctly, ted yoho has a problem with how he treats women so this is not maybe the first time this has happened. speaking, outside of congress and just in society there is a lot of systemic problems with how women are treated on many levels. that, how people

treat each other in society today is not good. ofn before we have had some the intense politics as of late, we need to treat each other with more respect and love. thank you very much. host: i was going to ask what you thought the remedy was in light of what you saw yesterday. caller: good point. people in families, a lot of this begins in families, in the home. parents need to work on this in the home as they are raising children so that as they grow up will have thethey benefit of that guidance as they come out into the community and they go to work and they run for politics and they raise their

own children. i don't know how else you could remedy it. in the home is where a lot of things begin. host: jessica from arlington, virginia. some other news you have heard about the protest that have gone throughout the united states particularly in portland. the new york times talks about the experience of the portland mayor, ted wheeler had while attending one of those events, getting tear-gassed. he said, it is hard to breathe and i can tell you with 100% honesty, i saw nothing that provoked this response. the story going on to say he called it an egregious overreaction on behalf of the federal officers and not a de-escalation strategy. it has to stop now, he declared. the democratic mayor has often long been the target of protesters infuriated by the .ity's police use of tear-gas

as mr. wheeler went through the crowd, some through objects in his direction and chanted his resignation. more of that plus some video you're seeing from the new york times. the washington post picks up some of the investigations that are going behind what you are seeing play out in these cities. devon barrett writing that the justice department will investigate how marshals have used force and other parts of the department such as the fbi and the bureau of explosives used to quell unrest in the nation's capitol. letter sent to lawmakers that opened an investigation the allegations that customs and border protection agents improperly detained and transported protesters in portland and will review the deployment of three of their personnel in recent weeks. ohio caller.

caller: yes. i would just like to say that i think that alexandria ao ocasio-cortez spoke eloquently and spoke up when she needed to. i think it is really sad to hear from men calling in this morning who are still continuing to perpetuate this problem and making it about and still saying that a woman is not intelligent, she is dumb, she is stupid, they don't like her politics. it speaks highly of what is really going on out there. women whorse is the are doing it as well. it is hard enough to stand up and deal with men in this society and the constant oppression that women have had but when it comes from other women, that is even harder to follow.

host: we will hear from bob in texas. caller: thank you, pedro. if mr. -- whatever his name is, if he is upset with her now, just wait a few years until she becomes president. i would vote for her in a heartbeat. i am really jealous that she is not my representative. it is amazing. i would like to say one other word if i could. host: before you go down that road, from the larger issue of society and sexism in politics, what you have to add on that front? are askinguess you me about women in politics. i don't see anything wrong with it. women with aot of lot more brains than men. host: ok. you wanted to make a comment? caller: yes, i would like to make one other comment.

somebody asou have a fellow that calls from south carolina three or four times a month and no one calls his hand on it. it is not right for the rest of us that call in one time per month. i would like for someone to say something to him. thank you. host: we appreciate it. for those of you that follow the 30 day guideline, we try our best to catch those and highlight those to make sure they are following the same standards that everybody gets a fair shot at calling in. caller, we appreciate the comment. denise is in kansas. hello. caller: that is olathe, kansas. i just have one comment. if this was a black congressman talking to a white female congressman, they would have his head on a platter. this has nothing to do with

sexism, but everything to do with racism and another example of white supremacy. thank you and you have a great weekend. host: brian in north carolina, you are next. caller: hello? host: you are on. caller: thanks for having me on. i would just say for everybody to stand back and just respect each other. i know that man would not want anybody to talk to his kids like that. eachstep back and respect other and treat everybody like a human. that's all i have to say. host: 4 million cases of coronavirus -- passing that mark in the united states. it is the subject of a story from the washington post this morning, it highlights the fact that the case of those infections is doubling. you can read it online. if you go to the new york times, a story about testing by matthew the averageng,

number when it comes to testing conducted mist and wide -- nationwide has grown to 780,000 per day. daily case counts have grown by 215%. states said that in 14 and washington dc, testing has increased faster meeting positive test rates are falling and many of those states are in the northeast. in new york, the epicenter early on, cases have declined even with more than 60,000 tests performed daily. in five states cases are what would be expected. these numbers come from an analysis of data from the covid tracking project, a volunteer organization that reports the number of tests conducted and cases reported in every state. you can read that story online if you wish. arizona, anthony, go ahead. it is about strong women and loving fathers.

i'm going to share two quick examples. is a major general that is leaving for washington next month, she has only been here one year but i am so happy and yet so sad to see her depart, but she's serving our nation and coincidentally her sister is serving as a major on a network information operation command. that is one example. generalld look at major powder's facebook page about covid-19. that is definitely a strong woman and i know she had a loving father. is steppingoach

down from coaching at a high school and in the last four years, he has taken a team that won no games and they have been queen of the south for the last two years. my son graduated at the same time in 2009. but that is what is wrong with sexism in society and politics. we have men that can love a woman, but physically, that is not learning how to love a family. and when you have a strong woman, then how do you think the west was won? it was not won by men. any questions? host: we will let it stand by there. we will let you see other comments made by ocasio-cortez on the house floor yesterday. [video clip] >> having a wife does not make a decent man.

treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man. up,when a decent man messes as we all are bound to do, he tries his best and does apologize. not to save face, not to win a toe, he apologizes genuinely repair and acknowledge the harm done so that we can all move on. lastly, what i want to express is gratitude.gra i want to thank him for showing the world that you can be a powerful man and a cost women. you can have daughters and accost women without remorse. ost can be married and acc

women. you can take photos and project limit -- project an image to the world without remorse and a sense of impunity. it happens every day in this country. it happened here on the steps of our nation's capitol. when individuals who hold the highest office in this women and to hurting using this language against all of us. politicother news, writes this morning that the president's first intelligence briefing as a candidate in august 2016 was led by an fbi agent who had just opened an investigation into his team's ties to russia. the document is a seven page summary of the briefing and it was part of the so-called

hurricane probe, probing for the broader russia investigation. the director of national intelligence classified the document along with two others and tend them senator ron johnson and chuck grassley who have been investigating the ordinance of probe in addition to the obama administration's actions during that time. the summary indicates the age in corning the briefing. michael flynn was also interviewed in i-17. he mentions the president or mr. flynn of russia. go to politico.com if you want to read it there. in new hampshire, this is judy. caller: hi. i don't know what the comment was made by him to her. i just hear was on the floor. he said something that was

offensive to the country and to god. i don't know what was said. i also think that she has a tendency to exaggerate. it is just like when she was at the border and said the women were drinking out of toilet. she did not go into detail, but the faucet was behind the toilet. maybe she did say something offensive and she has said a lot of things against men, our president, and sometimes i think she should shut her mouth a little bit and people -- maybe the republicans need to come down on the democrats. i don't know. i am not republican, i am not democrat. i am independent. but i think it is time that if you are going to blame one party for something, then you have to look at the other party doing the same thing. it is just like that one representative that did call the f'er.dent an m there have been other representatives that have said

things. and even nancy pelosi has said things that were not really nice. if you are going to call someone names, you need to look in your own house. host: we will go to tim in ohio. was kindhe last caller of spot on. aoc believes in identity politics and she was given her identity. the guy did not say all women are that your he said she is. so there is your sign. there is a comedian that used to say, there is your sign. she got her sign put in her face. just like maxine waters gets on their, acting like a complete idiot toward the president of the united states. here is your sign. identity politics. it is what it is. int: we will hear from jean new hampshire. hello. caller: i think it is so hypocritical why some can disrespect others and it is ok and yet if somebody else

disrespects somebody, it is not ok. the woman from new hampshire was right on. this is crazy. examples were given. it is ok to insult, disrespect and not a word is said about it. however, if it is against the democrats, all hell breaks loose. it makes no sense whatsoever. fauci, talking about the coronavirus a lot these days. he is throwing out the first pitch at the nationals game. the most famous person on the was him.ore that game the infectious disease expert made no secret of his baseball fandom of the washington nationals. he was picked to throw out the first pitch for the late 2020

season and probably wants a do over. he took the field in a jersey and capped with a mask covering his face. he stretched out his arm and uncorked a wild first pitch. you can see him in his usual context testifying before congress. he is the director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases. he will testify this morning discussing the covid-19 response. you can watch live coverage of the interview at 11:30 on c-span2, online on c-span.org or listen on the free c-span radio app. he will be talking to the washington post, not before congress. you can also see some hearings that will take place next week. it will be on monday that jeff bezos, tim cook, and mark zuckerberg will testify about the antitrust law from their perspectives of digitally based companies. you can watch it live starting

at noon on c-span2. also william barr will testify before the house judiciary committee on the justice department mission and programs. you can see that on tuesday at 10:00 on c-span3. we will go to louise in chicago. good morning. chicago? we will go to david in washington, d.c.. caller: thank you. hiding under the terms of allegiance. maybe we should go to the book of galations. you have to respect each other and honor each other. why everyone has turned this to become a religion based. walk up to a just lady and call her a b-word?

that is wrong. i am a supporter of ocasio. thank you. host: nelly in portsmouth, virginia. you are next up. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am an 85-year-old woman. i have watched politics all my life. i do not think he should have to apologize to her. host: why not? caller: because he was speaking to her and that was his opinion of her and the things she has said and done. she is against the president. she is against our government. if you listen closely to what she says, she is for overthrowing our government. and i don't think he should have

to apologize to her. he was not speaking to all the women or all the women in the house. i don't think he should have to apologize to her. host: you don't think there was anything wrong with the reported slur against her? caller: the slur against her? what about her slurs against everybody else? host: did you think there was anything wrong with the statements toward her? thisr: she has slurred whole country with her comments and she wants to overthrow this government if she can't, her and her cohorts. i don't think he should have to apologize. host: you made that comment several times. let's go to patty in georgia, hi. caller: i don't believe the comments that have been made about aoc.

i don't particularly agree with her politics. i cannot believe that the man on the capitol steps is allowed to call anyone that and get away with it. host: you don't believe the reporting as you read it? caller: i do. i don't believe he is allowed to get away with it and make such a foul apology and not really mean it. host: that is patty. if you want to see representative yoho's comments, you can go to the website to find those, if you want to see exactly what he set on the house floor back on wednesday. susan in clarksville, tennessee. hello. caller: good morning. i agree with a couple of the callers that it begins in the top. trump has no filter whatsoever and thank god for the babysitters of their that calm there that calm him down because i think he

would say a whole lot more offensive things. i do think it is race based. they only want white older men from the good old boy society to run this country. host: so you don't think it is an issue of gender? caller: not necessarily. be spit out by our leaders. i understand she hears that word -- i hear that word all the time. it is just the violence that this president has caused in this country. just step down and let somebody that knows what they're doing take hold because if not, if he gets elected four more years, we are in trouble. host: you think that kind of discourse toward women took place before this president took office? caller: yes, absolutely.

libber. a women's ,'m going to get shot for this but i feel sorry for the kids that have no parents in the home. and the home. because everybody is too focused on money. they think we have to dumb you down and take care of our kids. host: one more call from becca and massachusetts. caller: hi. i was just calling. hethoughts on this was maybe was referring to aoc's video comments about the voters in new york were doing so because they needed bread for their families, so it was ok. bags arev's and gucci food now. some of her comments are not so

great, and maybe she should apologize for some of her comments, but i do agree that if he called her names he should apologize and it should be accepted. off: becca will finish us this morning. i appreciate all of you who called into comet. -- comment. we will hear from the national association of latino voters arturond vargas. and from americans for prosperity president tim phillips on his group's role in campaign 2020 as well. binge watch book tv this summer. saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. eastern, watches several hours of your favorite authors. saturday we are featuring books written by warmer presidents.

watch saturday, august 8 as we feature books written by former first lady's, including rosalynn carter, barbara bush, hillary clinton, and michelle obama. bench watch book tv all summer watch book tvinge all summer on c-span2. q&a we look back on our conversation with representative john lewis from 2012. >> back in 1961 after you left washington, d.c., black people and white people could not be seated next week other on the bus, couldn't use the same waiting rooms, couldn't be seated together at the lunch counter at a restaurant, use the same restroom facilities. we were testing a decision by the supreme court. back tous as we look

our conversation with representative john lewis. "washington journal" continues. host: joining us from los angeles is arturo vargas, the ceo of the national association of latino elected and appointed visuals edge -- and appointed officials educational fund. about yourviewers organization, its purpose and what it does. guest: our organization was established in 1975. he was a pioneer in american politics and latino politics. the cdc campus is named after him because of his leadership in helping ensure this country had policies.health our mission is to promote the full participation of latinos in american democracy. we are a membership

organization, but also a nonprofit organization that works every day to strengthen american democracy, by making surely tino's fully participate. -- sure latinos fully participate. host: i'm sure you are keeping an eye on the decision by the president when it comes to the senses. remind the decision and the response your organization has. guest: we are laser focused and making sure this country has a fair and accurate 2020 senses. unfortunately the administration has been taking a number of steps over the last 3.5 years that has really undermined the work of the senses professionals and experts. the latest is a policy memorandum the president released on tuesday in which he is directing the department of commerce that after the census estimates tose

remove a certain number of people from each state that the sectary of commerce would believe would be undocumented immigrants. anti-was the second set of numbers to reimburse the house of representatives. host: "although the constitution requires persons in each state including any tax close could be enumerated in the senses the requirement has never seen to include all those physically present within estates boundaries at the time of the senses, and said the terms persons in each state has been interpreted to mean only the "inhabitants" of each state should be included. when you think of that interpretation? guest: as in many things in this administration does, it gets it wrong. delegations are false. the census bureau's policy for decades has been to ensure that everybody who is a resident on

the -- in the united states on april 1, which is the reference day that the census is taken, is to be counted. that language, the full number of persons, is from the 14th amendment of the constitution. when the draft was amended and they wrote the language, they consider the word citizen, full number of citizens, but they decided to go with whole number of persons to ensure that the house is based on total population. host: our guest is with us until 8:30. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. if you are a latino, (202) 748-8003. what could happen to the census count, and what does that mean

for latinos in the united states? what i find particularly offensive to american sensibility is that president wants to change it through mmo, number one. number two, it really cuts the numbers after the census is conducted. the census bureau already has an incredible challenge to try to finish the census given the current circumstances. we know we are at risk of having a flood senses to begin with. after the census is taken, to change the numbers again, to cut the numbers for political partisan benefit, i think is truly un-american. we saw the citizenship question go all the way to the supreme court. what are the chances of this going all away they are, and has your organization filed suit?

guest: we haven't filed suit, but i was witness of one of the lawsuits filed in new york. adding a citizenship question and what we learned in the federal lawsuit that came out as ofdence is that the purpose including a citizenship question was so that the states would know we noncitizens live so they could draw new electoral districts in the way that would benefit non-hispanic whites and republicans. the whole point of the citizenship question was to give politicaledge to one party. this is not the way we should be doing american politics in the country today. we shouldn't be rigging the system so that a political party has an advantage. host: going forward to 2020, what is the message your organization has for the candidates involved. what is of most interest to latino voters in your opinion? guest: right now the latino elation in the united states is in crisis. it is one of the populations most affected by the covid-19

pandemic. infection rates among latinos are skyrocketing. they are essential workers. they are the ones making sure we have food that we can buy, they are in the meatpacking industry, they are in industries suffering outbreaks of covid-19 infections. mortality rates among latinos are skyrocketing. the economic impact has been devastating. this has become the outside issue in the latino community. prior to covid-19 we know latinos were very interested in making sure there was access to good paying jobs, good quality education for their children, good public safety, making sure they had the opportunity to live the american dream. right now it seems so many latinos are living an american nightmare in this pandemic. host: is the rate of infection among latinos contributed only because of working situations?

is it access to testing, medical care? all three? how does that rate? guest: all of the above. i live in los angeles. the state with the largest number of latinos. at one point california was recognized as a leader in trying to deal effectively with this pandemic, and doing testing. of the initial testing sites -- all the initial testing sites were not in areas with large latino populations. those k months later. access to testing, access -- those came months later. access to testing, access to health care has not been equally distributed. if we look at the allocation of resources and health care and quality alec -- quality education, you can see how the inequity existed. host: tony in florida, homestead florida, a latino voter. you're on with arturo vargas. caller: thank you, pedro. good morning. good morning, america.

would you, mr. vargas, please share a comment about the latino congresswoman that has been in the news and was spoken of before? also, what do you suggest to address those issues you spoke of earlier? everything you do, guys. with regard to the congresswomanbout alexandria ocasio-cortez, what i always admired about the way members of congress conducted themselves as they did so with dignity and decorum. even when they disagreed they

should not be disagreeable. on the house floor they would refer to each other as the gentleman, and as women were elected, the gentlelady from certain states. to see how we have evolved to where members of congress are calling each other slurs and using language that is not even fit for prime time really speaks to where we are as a nation in terms of our politics. i believe she deserves an apology. more than anything i think there should be some examination -- how did we get here? how do we go back to the day when we could disagree, but respect each other? with regard to the issues i've raised, i think what is most necessary from a latino perspective is to ensure that all of us participate. everybody be counted in the census as required by the united states constitution. that every eligible united states citizen 18 years old or older register to vote and vote

in these elections. this is the way we ensure we have a strong democracy, and this is the way we ensure that the latino population has the full voice in the decision being made in the country. host: on the independent line from florida, port charlotte this is mike. caller: things for taking my call. i think the issue is becoming a little clouded. if the constitution says that, at the time the constitution was wereen, women and children not voters. voters were the ones represented in the congress, voters only. this implies white landowners, ok? now it is voters. that is women -- i don't care what kind of race they are. they didn't care what kind of

race they were in the beginning. it was white voters, ok? that has changed over time. i don't have a problem with that. what i do have a problem with is when you start counting illegal people who don't belong here. that includes people who have overstayed visas, whatever nationality, ok? these people are not entitled to our --esented at host: thank you for that. go ahead. guest: reminder about the constitution when it was written census itself required a numeration of all people and 3/5 of other people. that included african-american slaves. this was the count in the constitution written for

apportioning the house of representatives. you count everyone. you don't count indians not taxed. if you are an african-american slave, you are 60% of a person. that is when the constitution was written. the 14th amendment that abolished slavery for which this country fought one of the bloodiest wars ever come of the civil war, resulted in changing the language of the constitution to say that the whole number of persons are to be counted. it doesn't matter if you are female,lack, male, doesn't matter your age, if you are a citizen, the language of the constitution is clear. it says the whole person. e in chicago, illinois, independent line. caller: i would just like to say two things. number one, if you look at the bible -- i can't quote it

directly -- but the theme of it a person is taught as a child will, a young take that throughout that person's life when they become older and when they are old. it comes from the bible, sorry i can't give you the exact scripture. it plays out in the lives of each person living on this earth. people, i think they are marvelous, wonderful people, all americans in this country, and should be treated with the greatest respect, as everyone else. thank you. guest: thank you. host: mr. vargas, you as well of -- as well as i have seen the the usen the protests, of police force. what is the positioning of your

organization or what you are might that concerns particularly have for latino voters? guest: the issue has affected all americans across the country. we know in policing there has ofn a bias in terms african-americans and bias against latinos in the way policing is enforced. latinos support the police, because they support public safety. but they support it when it is done in a way that is not bias or discriminatory. there needs to be a conversation in this country as to how do we ensure the public safety of all americans in a way that does not inow bias to express itself ways of violence against a particular population group assuming someone is a criminal merely by the color of their skin or the language they speak. i think there should be some

consideration of how do we ensure all of us can live in a society that is safe and free of that kind of bias. host: if you are asked on twitter this morning on that topic, would you go as far as the whole issue of defunding the police? guest: i don't think the conversation should be to defund police departments. i think it should be a conversation of how do we use are -- thats that have policed parts that are protecting and serving, how we have people and professionals in the mental health field that are providing services to people who have mental health needs? people who have other kinds of needs for which police are being forced to respond? i think there should be a conversation of how do we use our resources to make sure we have adequate responses to the needs of the community?

from new jersey, latino voter. caller: long tidewater, first time caller. timeme watcher, first caller. just like the black vote in the country, i don't think democrats should take the latino vote for granted. and to touch on defunding the police, it all stems from the fact they only receive six months to eight months of training. they only require recently -- because i was trying to be a cop over 10 years ago when i was 19 and was a permanent resident at the time. i could join the army, but not the police force. in stems from the fact they don't have any mental health training. if they incorporate that into their training, how to deal with people in certain situations -- it is not always about them not listening and following orders, because when you start talking like that, that starts off.

host: mr. vargas? guest: this is not one of the issues of which we focus on at naleo. we focus on making sure all latinos are able to participate in our democracy, but this is one of the conversations the country as having. i hope that the candidates for president, but also for congress and state legislative offices and local offices, include this issue in their campaigns. what is their vision for moving the country forward? as latinos are preparing to vote, all the candidates also listen to the concerns and priorities that latino voters have as they are preparing for the november election. host: the first part in the comments was talking about the taking for granted the latino vote, particularly for the democratic candidates.

is that a truism in your mind? guest: unfortunately latino voters have been taken advantage of by both political parties for years. the assumption that latinos would only vote democrat, never vote republican. the fact is latino voters overall tend to be ignored by candidates. many latinos live in states that are not considered battleground states, the candidates ignore latinos in those states. if we want lynn tino's to be engaged in this process -- if we want latinos to be engaged in this process, they need to be engaged in the process and understand the priorities latino voters have. both democrats and republicans need to do that and not assume latinos will vote a certain way. host: does your organization endorse? a 50163o, we are nonprofit organization and are the irsed by

of endorsing candidates. our mission is that latinos participate in whatever party they choose. those who choose to participate in my organization believe that participation is what is important. your ideology, your party affiliation is secondary. what is important first is that participate. host:host: at this stage of the campaign when it comes to joe biden, the presumptive democratic nominee, do you think he has directly addressed issues concerning latino voters? if he hasn't, what does he need to say? guest: he will have the perfect opportunity to do that if he accepts the invitation to speak at our national conference that we will hold virtually,, the 37th conference. we invited the vice president, we invited president trump -- as we have every year. out of courtesy we always invite

the president to speak. in election years we also invite the candidate. in miami we were joined by eight democrats seeking the presidential nomination of their party. we also invited the president, but he didn't join us. i'm looking forward to hearing from the vice president himself on august 6, if he accepts our invitation to address the membership of naleo. host: our guest is arturo vargas of the national association of latino elected and appointed officials. tracy from eagle point, oregon, republican line. caller: hi, thank you for taking my call. latino population here in oregon, you know. i would think they would vote more republican because of their values. they are all about home, they

are all about family. the democrats are about nothing to do with family. their whole platform is to get rid of the nuclear family. it's crazy to me why they are latinahis, but i think here,, you know, came that weren't already born here, for freedom. democrats are giving them is what they left and what they don't believe in. host: sorry about that. mr. vargas, go ahead. guest: i think the point the last caller was making is that all latino voters into a single profile. we are a diverse population ideologically, geographically,

ethnically from national origin. in vast majority of latinos this country are american-born. there is a smaller segment that is foreign-born today. what needs to happen is candidates need to understand the diversity of latinos and understand not one-size-fits-all. they need to understand and get to know latino voters in every state across the country, and understand that we are an important element of the electric, the economy -- the electorate, the economy, in the future of this country. host: does your organization focus on certain states during the election period? guest: because of limited resources we are forced to do that. for our census work and our electoral work, we are working in california, arizona, texas, florida, north carolina, the

mid-atlantic and northeast region. because we have partnerships with spanish language media we have a national footprint in getting our message out across the country. we also have a national network state,o members in every and are trying to ensure all of us work together to pull and push in the right direction to move the country forward. line.frank, democrats caller: my name is frank. i am an asian american, primarily burmese. i understand latino voters are a diverse group. they are still primarily democrat, the majority of them. depends onis it the administration you are in state, andal,

federal that determines the favorability of that particular group, republican, democrat, or what. i think she was wrong to say that republicans only concentrate on the family. are gaining ground because of donald. making the republicans look at the cut -- look bad because of this administration. it doesn't necessarily mean all areblicans are bad, there bad democrats, too. but we need to do, asian-americans and americans as a whole, is to unite the democratic party -- i am a democrat -- unite the democratic party to make a difference in this country and the world. host: thanks, caller. mr. vargas, do you want to respond to any of that? guest: to reiterate there are latino republicans, latino

democrats, latino independents. you can't assume exactly how a latino voter is going to express him or herself at the ballot box. you have to engage and convince a latino voters of your position. latino voters tend to be pretty sophisticated. they look beyond a candidate's affiliation,ical and really want to listen to what the candidate has to say about the issues important to us. republicanegon, line. caller: i was watching this. i am in oregon. my great-grandmother was tabitha of universitynder the illegal migrants and people coming across have turned to meth. they caught a guy on the rodeo

with 57 pounds of meth. it is terrible. host: what exactly would you like to address with our guest? caller: i would like to say, this is america and the french, the english, the irish -- and i'm french -- why do we have to be bilingual just spanish and english? english is the american language. to get a job in oregon you have to be bilingual, you can't just speak english. host: mr. vargas? guest: i am very proud to be , theof this country tradition of america that is a country of immigrants. all of us believing in the same values, that we are all created equal, that we can get along with each other as americans. i am looking forward to leadership in this country that will bring us together and hopefully help us get out of this crisis of the covid-19

pandemic and put us on the right path for making sure all the vets are able to respect each other and work together -- all of us are able to respect each other and work together. host: arturo vargas joins us from los angeles. thank you for your time this morning. guest: thank you for having me. we will have a conversation with the president of americans for prosperity, tim phillips, on the group's role for campaign 2020 in a minute on "washington journal." ♪ >> american history tv on exploring the people and events that tell the american story every weekend. weekend, saturday

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c-spanstore.org. c-span2 has top nonfiction books and authors every weekend. this weekend, sunday at 4:30 begin again:hor of james baldwin's america and urgent lessons for our own is joined by cornell west. at 9:00 p.m. eastern on afterwords, the book use the power you have: a brown woman' as a guide to politics and political change. she is interviewed by jim himes. >> "washington journal" continues. from tim phillips joins us

greenville, north carolina. good morning to you, sir. can you remind folks about your organization? guest: americans for prosperity is a nationwide grassroots organization with staff and volunteers across the country. we focus on knocking down the barriers holding people back from living fulfilling lives. a lot of the time that is government policy, which is what we are talking about today. a lot of the times it is issues like poverty and addiction in communities as well. a lot of public policy as well. host: a little bit about your funding, if you might. are you directly affiliated with the coke brothers? guest: yes, we are. passed away last year. yes, we have an affiliation and are proud of that affiliation. when it comes to

affiliation, the coronavirus relief package, various price tags being thrown around by the senate and house side. you have some concern about what is being suggested? guest: we do. the congress has appropriated the president to sign into law trillions of dollars in spending already. much of that was needed, by the way. this is an unprecedented situation we are facing with the pandemic that has an economic toll that is unprecedented in our nations history. much of that was needed, it.ssary, and we support at this point, it is difficult to justify another multi dollar spending bill, especially if it includes what the house version included in late spring which is trillions of dollars for bailing out states and localities that has nothing to do with the pandemic, but more to do with irresponsible spending and pension policies for many years. host: states will say in some

cases because of school and testing costs, and other things related to covid, we need the fiscal help. you would fight against that? guest: it is important to know that they have received trillions of dollars already. several studies are out showing hundreds of billions of that dollars already appropriated are still in the pipeline, still unspent. it is important any legislation congress passes be timely so it can help right away. the targeted specifically to the impact of this pandemic and resulting short-term economic difficulties. and also temporary. we should not now be looking at long-term entitlements and new programs, because we have to focus on the here and now. that is what we push for peace. weimportant -- that is what push for. it is important to know there are billions of dollars still

available in the states and localities. , but they are asking for is not related to first responders , hospitals, or others. instead, it is for operating expenses that in many cases for many years they have been irresponsible in doing so. point. our focus at this there have been good things that the government has done. getting rid of a lot of regulation and redtape. they have done that in many locations to let health-care providers save lives. they have through the paycheck protection program and other efforts that are targeted to small businesses, done good things as well. we just think it doesn't make sense to spend trillions more. host:host: the house comes in at 9:00 am so you can ask our guest questions until then. republicans, (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. .ndependents, (202) 748-8002

if you want to text us you can do so at (202) 748-8003. one of the things the senate majority leader would like to see is a liability protection. is that something -- what would you think about that prospect being included in legislation? guest: it is important to get some kind of liability protection for schools, for mosques, synagogues, small mom-and-pop businesses that are trying to survive. an avalanche of lawsuits from personal injury lawyers are coming. liability reform or protection is important to let these schools in these churches, mosques, synagogues, and businesses open and provide the services and their communities to individual americans. without that threat hanging over them that they are going to be

relentlessly sued into bankruptcy. we need to get this economy going again. when need to help people get back to their normal lives. i am on the road a lot in south carolina, north carolina this week, and americans want their back. lives one thing holding them back from normal lives is the threat that so many churches and schools and small businesses have of being sued into bankruptcy and wiped pandemic-related lawsuits coming unless there is some kind of liability protection. several states considering more stay-at-home orders or re-imposing the restrictions against businesses, would you advocate against that, for that, a cautionary approach, where would you stand? guest: we would urge government to be responsible but cautious. there isrtant to note, a human cost to shut downs as

well. we have seen the studies. the rise in depression, suicides, drug overdoses. a lot of children who are struggling with those as well. hunger issues because schools are not in the way they have been before. it is important to note there is a cost in human terms to these full shutdowns as well. we are looking at states. a lot of folks are focusing on texas and florida, but the state with some of the fastest-growing infection rates is the state that has been shut down most stringently for the longest time, certainly among the longest time, and that is california. there is no single approach that seems to be working far better than others. we would urge caution at the state level and think the administration has done the right thing by not having a

one-size-fits-all policy on shutdowns or other measures from washington, d.c. what is happening in nebraska is york.ifferent than new what is happening in oregon is different than georgia. these states and localities know best what to do and how to protect citizens while getting the economy going. i think the administration deserves credit for not imposing a draconian, d.c.-based one-size-fits-all policy. we probably would have gotten wouldnk, coverage, but it have been too heavy-handed. they have done a good job letting states and localities make those decisions. host: another coronavirus relief packages being considered. have you heard from the white house or senate republicans about this? have you had a chance to share your views? guest: we have. we have been speaking to the white house on a consistent

basis, and a lot of senate republicans since they are the majority on that side. there is some disarray on the senate and white house side. there is no question about that. it is more important for them to get it right than try to rush something to meet a deadline they have set for speed it through too quickly. often you can do the wrong thing that can end up hurting the country and limiting our ability to get the economy going again while dealing with this pandemic. we have been in talks with them. we have urged them to reject the house plan that has been called dead on arrival, the pelosi bill, the $3 trillion with a christmas tree list unrelated to the pandemic of ideological measures and spending. it had the bailouts for states and localities. for example, illinois, which has

the most chronically underfunded pensions in the country, if not the worst, they would openly say we want the bailout money to shore up our pensions fund. that is not fair to states like wisconsin and indiana, close to illinois, who have bitten the bullet and funded their pension. that is not fair to them. we are glad that that is dead on arrival. that is important as a first step. let's be prudent. there is a lot of talks about education money. that is a vital concern. i had moms and dads yesterday talking to me about that in the carolinas about their concern and worry. children,to get the in a responsible way, back in school. any education money, let's let it follow the families. families have tough decisions to make about what to do with their children. whether to go ahead and go along with public school plans being

formulated, or to go with homeschooling or private options. this is a difficult time for parents. let's make sure any education funding follows the parents' wishes. either stipends or the ability with education accounts to let them make more of the decisions rather than washington throwing a bunch of money at public schools. host: we have calls lined up. the first on the democrats line, cincinnati, ohio. go ahead, tonya. caller: caller good morning. -- caller: good morning. i feel mr. phillips is giving us talking points, and many of them don't make sense was that for instance, he says it's not fair for state that is in trouble to get more than another state. however, when the first money came out much of it went to businesses that had no business

receiving that money. they were big businesses, and many of them are talking about having to pay it back. fair i guess is in the eye of the beholder. many things aren't fair. we are in the middle of a and whenin this world, we could have stopped it, the president refused to take the from the worlds health organization. then wound up and turned out tests that were not accurate and working. host: thank you. we will get a response. guest: you may be surprised to hear that i completely agree idea thatn the bailing out industry-specific big dismisses is the wrong way to go. we think that is a bad idea, too. government help should not be cronyism where they pick out big winners and big losers based on their lobbyists or how much of a

political contribution they make. i am with you on that. americans for prosperity is there as well. we want to see focus on the smaller businesses who don't have a big backup system in place. we have constantly said during this process, let's not reward specific industries that have the best lobbyists, the best connections. let's not have government picking winners and losers. we agree with that. aid should be specifically targeted to those struggling the most. often those are the smaller businesses. the mom and pop organizations and 3, 5, 8, 10 employees, not these big corporate interests. we are with you there. it is important not to go that route again. a lot of industries have their hands out will stop washington, it is a feeding frenzy where lobbyists are wanting to get what they would call their fair

share. it is not their fair share. there is a big lobbying frenzy going on now. we have seen coverage with folks getting big deals. that is wrong, and this is a terrible time when america is struggling with a pandemic we haven't seen since 1917, 18, 19, and economic crisis that is unprecedented. now is not the time for the swap feeding frenzy of lobbying and special interest money being doled out. carol, upblican line, next. caller: good morning. i have questions about all of this. it seems like the people in the states that opened first are getting punished because they went to bars and beaches because they have been closed up for several months. all of a sudden those states had the big increase. florida, georgia, all those states. interview of aan

guy in line in one of the testing centers who had been through three times to get himself tested. these numbers, there is no way of telling if these numbers are true or not. they are just numbers on tv. as theoof do we have american people that these numbers are true and all positive cases of corona. and all of these people who are positive may not have any symptoms, may not end up in the hospital. all this is political, it looks like, being drummed up to keep the president from being reelected. guest: it is interesting to watch people go after states that pressed to reopen their economies, to try to get commerce going again, to try to get people their normal lives back. places like florida, georgia, texas they have been pummeled hard by some in the media and political world. it is important to know that, and i mentioned this earlier,

california has had the opposite approach, an incredibly stringent lockdown that has been eased so slowly, they are spiking. their infection rate is spiking through the roof. some seems to be ideological games being played with the states that have worked to get folks back to normal. consistently, and i was in georgia a week ago doing door-to-door socially distanced work with one of our sister organizations, and what people want is their lives back. they want to do it in a responsible, safe way, but it is easy for experts in washington, d.c. to opine about shutting things down and waiting it out, whether it is months were deep into 2021. those experts always seem to incomeeir jobs, an

source. so many americans don't have that. they have been hurt by the shutdowns. the shutdowns were needed in some respect, no question, but now is the time to continue to look for ways to responsibly get people back to normal, get our lives back, and get this economy going again. host: lee, rockville, maryland, independent line. caller: good morning, enjoying the show. good morning. i would like to ask about the federal budget deficit. prior to the pandemic, prior to last winter, we were looking at trillion dollar annual deficits as far as the eye could see. the republican party, the party of fiscal responsibility, was rolling over and accepting this. these deficit hawks mike mulvaney and ryan were just saying trillion dollar deficit? that's fine.

that? you account for how do you account for the enormous budget deficits prior to the pandemic that the republican party was just acquiescing to? guest: the most consistent failure of both parties over the last 20 years, without doubt, has been in the area of the nding.t and overspe government overspending. if you want partisanship in washington give them a bloated bill and partisanship seems to come back around. , that evenis right with an economy that was growing pretty darn well in the first 2.5 to three years of the trump administration due to tax cuts and good policies that were implemented, there was still a deficit of around a trillion dollars. that is frightening during good economic times to have a deficit

that big and a budget that is barely over $4 trillion. that is too much, by the way. both parties failed during the bush years. spending was out of control during the obama years. spending was out of control when democrats were fully in charge, when republicans were fully in went up.ficits and with a split control we have seen the same issue will stop we are deeply worried about that. kinds of things you can always put off until tomorrow politicians want to think. it does cramp economic growth and the ability of the private sector to get capital to do what he needs to do to create wealth and jobs for folks. these deficits are so dangerous we are approaching estimates of around $27 trillion in debt. that is a devastatingly high

number. it does hurt our country. at some point in the near future we will be paying more interest on the debt then we are putting towards defense, education, or really important priorities like infrastructure for the country. we would urge both parties, because both parties have failed, to think about the deficit and debt as they make these decisions. that is important. host: tim phillips with americans for prosperity, serving as their president. there is a viewer who texted us about liability protections. he says liability protections designed to shield bad actors from the full consequence of their actions. it's anti-capitalist to allow them. guest: i would say that those fearing the lawsuits the most, mentionedre what i earlier. churches, synagogues, mosques

will stop they will be targets of lawsuits without question. the churches, synagogues, and mosques want to provide spiritual services and help to folks often most in need in their communities. they will be on the front line being wiped out if we don't get reforms. small businesses without the ability to hire big lawyers and go through the appeals process will be hammered if we don't get liability protections. i mentioned schools. we will see a raft of lawsuits towards schools, which will mean taking money away from educating our children to pay what will be massive settlements. it's easy to say it's just about protecting a big business or something like that, but the truth is the big businesses are the ones with the deepest pockets and often able to fight those. they have every right to do that youshould, but i'm telling

we will need liability protection. otherwise, we are going to lose any kind of economic recovery due to the payments that will pull money out that we need to educate our children, provide faith and religious support, and community support for people. often churches, mosques, and synagogues do that stuff and our schools, who need to be educating our children, not holding massive reserves of honey for what they -- of money for what they think will be judgment. the liability reform is badly needed -- excuse me. liability protections are badly needed, or we will see the return to normal, people getting their normal lives back, dramatically slowed down. up, buffalo, new york, democrats line. caller: good morning, mr. phillips. i would like to know what this

organization, americans for prosperity, whose prosperity are we talking about? all americans? it doesn't seem like you believe in that, because you want to cut states ando the people who have lost their jobs. this is nobody's fault, this pandemic. it's something we all have to for.equally bear the cost poorestdn't be upon the of the poor. the richest of the rich should also have to suffer as much as the poorest of the poor. atst: we at americans prosperity -- americans are prosperity, our goal is to remove barriers that hold every american from every walk of life , every walk of life, back from being able to live fulfilling lives was that we do that

across the board. often on the economic policy front, what we are fighting for is more freedom and opportunity for people at the margins, those hurting the most, to be able to have fulfilling lives and live fulfilling lives. thatnk about the policies are sometimes hard to explain. i will give one or two examples. we supported telemedicine to be goanded, which let folks not into a doctor's office and lowers costs for people. telemedicine helps seniors who vulnerable tomost this virus stay home and access medical care without being exposed. i think about lower taxes, that usually saves money for folks

struggling at the margins. e state raises the gas attacks, my home state of virginia just raised the gas tax, who does that hurt the most? the single mom to be struggling with a couple of jobs to research to children was not that extra $60 or $70 a month on gas hurts her a lot more than someone maybe making $400,000 a year in the north virginia suburbs. the policy we and promote, we want to help every american. often the americans hurt the most by higher taxes and more government regulation, our people at the margin struggling the most. host: we just have a few minutes. what do you think about this recent call by the president of sending federal forces into cities dealing with protesting? guest: public safety is important and the rule of law is crucial. you can't have prosperity in a

country where -- and a country where folks can live their lives if you don't have the rule of law. i think you want to look carefully before you have several forces going into cities -- special forces going into cities or localities. it's one thing to make sure that a federal courthouse is protected, because that's federal property in the federal government is responsible and should be protecting those sites. i think in portland, oregon for almost 60 nights the federal been defacedas and lives have been threatened. the federal government has a role. when you're talking about existing surge capacity on programs, that is something that seems reasonable. you want to be careful that local control is respected. federalists is a important part of the constitution which allows states and localities to have a

great say in how their affairs are run. it is finding the right balance. i hope that on this topic, as on others, the two parties can find ways to work together to find their balance. i can tell you americans, when they are seeing this pandemic, the economic crisis, they want a government that's working. they don't want gotcha politics. up, the one you brought which is, what is the balance between the federal response and then having states and localities be able to run their cities and states? it's finding a balance. that is where government has got to work together, and that is something we need in this country right now more than at any point i've seen during my lifetime. host: tim phillips, the president for americans for prosperity. mr. phillips, thank you for giving us your time. guest: absolutely.

host: don't forget, dr. fauci will talk with "the washington post." you can see that on c-span2 and our radio app at about 11:30 if you want to see what he has to say about the latest when it comes to covid-19. next week, two big hearings, jeff bezos, tim cook, and mark zuckerberg will testify at noon on monday if you want to do that. if you want to watch that. you can find more information on c-span.org. the house of representatives coming in for morning business.